Category Archives: Canada

Taking a break from the Canada Day fireworks over Halifax Harbour on July 3, 2015 (fog post-poned from July 1st), the ‘double stars’ of Venus and Jupiter hang over the harbour, as if to guide the festivities.

Here’s a great little clip of the pitch on CBC’s Dragon’s Den by a group of inner city Halifax kids who are part of a group of social entrepreneurs called Hope Blooms (video at link). With the help of some mentors, over 40 kids run an organic garden and produce salad dressings. The dressings sell out every weekend at the community (Seaport) market in Halifax, so they kids are looking for an investment of $10,000 in exchange for 5% royalties until the loan is paid back.

The Dragons are floored, and four of five (you’ll never guess who the fifth one is) pitch in the $10,000 with no royalty claims, offer to promote the idea, and Boston Pizza founder and CEO Jim Treliving even offers to distribute the product through his restaurants. They kids want to build a greenhouse so they can get into year-round production. They do a great job with their presentation, come away with $40,000 and invaluable support.

Here’s their website. Great job kids, and mentors, and the community. Doesn’t sound like you need a “good luck” wish, but you have mine anyway! Will pick up some of your product next chance I get … if there’s any still on the shelves!

And, not surprisingly, some cool, absorbing and, at times, touching and poignant music to listen to while one is out under the stars and various phases of the moon.

Are you a Rush fan? If you haven’t gone through their whole catalog like this, go do it. I recommend it. There are bound to be periods that you didn’t pay as much attention to, and it’s neat to listen through to it all and consider all of those periods as just cool parts of the whole thing. They do dress better now.

Are you not a Rush fan? Give it a try, you may well find some wonderful nuggets.